A Call to Action

DURING SOME OF THE DARKEST DAYS of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln reminded his fellow Americans that "we have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven." To be born in a land of freedom, to live in a nation founded as "One Nation Under God" by those who served the one, true God of the Bible, is both a tremendous privilege and great responsibility.

While we have much to admire and love and be thankful for in being able to call America our home, our nation is rapidly drifting from its biblical foundations. Our freedom to serve God and to promote the gospel in our land is disintegrating. We are engaged in a great spiritual battle that threatens our country, our families, and our lives. Only God's intervention will return America to solid footing and restore a moral nation that righteousness will exalt.

As believers in Jesus, we have His call to be "salt" and "light" to the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We must take seriously our responsibility to put God first, not only in our homes but also in our national affairs.

Here is a clear and honorable pathway that any generation of Americans can use to protect that which is right and change that which is wrong within our great nation:

PRAY. Our Founding Fathers knew the power and purpose of prayer. From our nation's beginning through times of war and tragedy, we have been called to pray that the hand of Almighty God might show forth His mercy and intervene with His grace toward America. Today is no different. Second Chronicles 7:14 instructs us: "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will for forgive their sin and heal their land."

PROCESS. Within the God-given wisdom of our founding documents, we have been granted clear and certain processes for bringing about change concerning things that we perceive as wrong for our land. From the local municipality to the halls of Congress and the White House, imbedded in the laws and governmental processes of America are pathways for nonviolent moral, social, and political change. But first they must be learned and understood before they can be properly applied.

PARTICIPATE. Participating within the process for change is the ultimate key to its success. It is futile to gripe and complain about what one considers "wrong" or "unjust" in our land and not participate in the process of changing it for the better. The Scriptures are clear on this matter, "...to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).

PERSERVERE. When fighting for the right, we must never cease until we prevail. The battle is not always won by the strongest, the smartest, or the most elite, but ultimately it comes to those who persist and persevere. When soon-to-be President George Washington led his troops into battle during the Revolutionary War, he lost most of those battles, but through perseverance he ultimately won the war. As a result, we won our independence from the British and became a free people. Our Lord taught us that when we put our hands to the plow of a righteous cause, we are never to look back, but to persevere and prevail (Luke 9:62).

All the resources of the Almighty God and His Word are available to us. He rules in the affairs of men, and nothing is too hard for Him. He is the sovereign King of the universe, with all power and authority, and He is compassionate, gracious, and ready to extend His love and mercy to us.

Let us bend our knees and humble our hearts and pray. Let us be willing to be used of God to help turn this great nation back to Him. Let us stand in the gap and make our lives to be salt and light in our families and neighborhoods and workplaces. God wants to come and bless us, to forgive our sins and heal our nation; The United States of America.